Automatic marking device for continuous photoprinting machines



June 29, 1954 M; KNOBEL 2,682,212 AUTOMATIC MARKING DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS PHOTOPRINTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 2, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l fiwfizkr yz M562 M. KNOBEL AUTOMATIC MARKING DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUS PHOTOPRINTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Shed 2 fiweiziar Mal hazel WKW June 29, 1954 Filed Dec. 2, 1949 same by cutting transversely of the strip. "the foregoing cutting machine there is a slight Patented June 29, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Max Knobel, Arlington, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments, Braintree, Mass.,

chusetts to Alves Photo Service, Inc.,

a corporation of Massa- Application December 2, 1949, Serial No. 130,764

This invention relates to apparatus for makingmarks on continuous strips of photographic printing paper at predetermined places and especially to making marks on the back of the paper preparatory to introducing it into the machine of my pending application Serial No. 104,274, filed July 12, 1949. The foregoing mafchine is for cutting the printed paper into individual photographic prints of predetermined lengths with or without other operations such as making perforations for mounting a number of individual prints between paper covers in booklet form and scoring the prints at the ends fastened between the covers so that one or more may be removed by tearing along the score lines.

In the foregoing machine there are a number of instrumentalitiesincluding a cutter, a punching member and a scoring member which are intermittently actuated to operate on the printed strip at predetermined places.

terruption of a light beam by a mark on the strip which sets into motion means for effecting actuation of the instrumentality. As further explained in that application the marks for interrupting the light beam were produced on the emulsion side of the strip, for example by exposing the emulsion to light through a narrow slit at the time of printing so that the printed strip would have in the unprinted portions between printed areas narrow black marks substantially at the points between successive printed areas where it was desirable to separate the In lag between the time the mark on the strip interrupts the light beam and the time required for'the instrumentality, set in operation by the interruption of the beam, to travel from their inoperative position to a position to operate on i the strip. Hence, the mark travels beyond the cutter before the latter descends into cutting engagement with the strip so that each print carries a black mark on its printed surface in the unprinted margin thereof. The presence of this black mark on the printed surface has caused some adverse comment in the trade and seems to be objectionable to some customers. Accordingly it was determined that the mark should be placed on the back of the strip so as to be invisible from the front and the principal objects of this invention are to provide a simple, effective and easily operable apparatus for placing a suitable mark on the back of thestrip simultaneously with the printing operation so as to avoid any independent operation such as would require additional handling of the printed strip.

Accordingly, and as illustrated herein, there is incorporated in the. strip printer through whichthe printing paper is passed for exposure,

The actuation of these instrumentalities is dependent upon in-' 2 Claims. (CI. 95-75) marking means which is situated above the back of the strip, resting on the printing table over the printing aperture, in a position to be moved into and out of contact with the back of the strip and means for effecting operation of the marking means to apply a mark to the back of the strip at a predetermined time and predetermined place in the unprinted portion of the strip between successive printed areas. The printer has strip-feeding means which may be preset to feed the strip intermittently predetermined amounts depending upon the size of the print which is to be made and with means for exposing eachsuccessive length of strip advanced across the printing aperture a predetermined number of seconds, each exposure being initiated by the pause in the feeding means and terminated by a timer. In accordance with the present invention the operation of the marking member is efiected following each pause in feeding by the actuation of the printing means. Provision is also made for adjusting the marking means longitudinally of the strip for marking prints of different size.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the upper part of a strip printer showing the novel marking device mounted thereon in a position to apply a mark to the back of the strip passing through the printer;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, is a front elevation of the marking device to larger scale showing its position with respect to the strip to be marked;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the marking device as seen from the right-hand side of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the marking device along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3 looking upwardly from the plane of the strip beneath the marker;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a strip of photographic paper showing successive printed areas on the under side and marked on the back side in the unprinted margins of each print close to its corner; and

Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, there is shown a conventional printing cabinet 10 below which is a printing lamp [2 supplied with cur rent from a 110 volt line a--c, Fig. 7. At the top of the cabinet and rising from the rear side thereof is a hollow panel It on the forward face of which are mounted for rotation a pair of spaced reels l8 and 20 one of which is adapted to contain a supply of unexposed paper and the other of which is adapted to take up the exposed paper following exposure. At the rear of the way of a gear reduction unit G and other suitable gearing not shown which is housed within the panel I 6. The strip of unsensitized paper carried by the reel I8 is led downwardly therefrom between a pair of vertically disposed rollers 24 and 26 mounted for free rotation about horizontal axes on the forward face of the panel IS. The bottom of the roller 26 is substantially tangential to the top surface of the printing cabinet and the paper after passing beneath the bottom of the roller 26 is led across the top of the printing cabinet above a mask 28, resting over the printing aperture, then to a pair of vertically disposed rollers 30 and 32 corresponding to the rollers 24 and 26 and finally to the take-up reel 20 upon which the strip is rewound.

The mask 28 is in the form of a flat metal plate which rests upon the top of the printing cabinet above the printing aperture and it is removably secured thereto by rear clips 3434 secured to the forward face of the panel and forward clips 3G3B fastened to the top of the printing cabinet. The mask has a picture aperture 38 therein for defining the exact size of the print to be made and a small positioning slot 40 in a marginal part thereof near one corner at one end. Masks of different size and different shape may be employed on the printing machine hence to facilitate easy removal and replacement, each mask is provided at its forward edge with an upwardly projecting lip 4| which may be easily grasped to withdraw the mask from beneath the clips 34 and 36.

On the forward face of the panel [6 substantially midway between the reels [8 and 20 there is fastened a bracket 42 having a forwardly projecting horizontal web 44, the forward edge of which has formed therein a horizontal bore 46. A rod 48 is fixed in the bore 46 with one end projecting therefrom to form a support for a marking head 50 the latter being slidably mounted on the rod so that it may be moved longitudinally in a horizontal plane with reference to the top of the printing cabinet. The longitudinal position of the marking head will be determined by the size of the mask employed at any particular time so that a mark will be applied to the back of the strip in a suitable position as will appear hereinafter.

The marking head 50, Figs. 3, 4 and 5, comprises a substantially box-like frame 52 having along its lower back corner a boss 53 bored to accommodate the rod 48 upon which it is splined for horizontal movement along the rod. The forward side of the frame 52 has at one corner a depending leg 54 which extends downwardly close to the upper surface of the printing cabinet and has in its lower end a nub 56 for example a piece of rubber which bears against the upper surface of the mask resting on the top of the printing cabinet and is of a size to fit into the positioning aperture 40 in the mask. This then forms means by which the position of the marking head 52 may be fixed with reference to a given mask. That is, when a mask is placed on the top of the printing cabinet of a given size, the printing head may be moved therealong to bring the nub 55 into engagement with the aperture 40 in the mask and when this is done the marking means, which will now be described, will be properly situated to place a mark on the back of the strip between successive printed areas as indicated in Fig. 6 within the margin of one of the prints close to the corner thereof.

Referring to Fig. 6, the printed areas are indicated at P, the unprinted margins of each print as m and the mark applied thereto as R.

Between the opposite ends of the frame 52 at the front side thereof there is a rearwardly projecting leg 58, Fig. 4, which extends downwardly parallel to the leg 54. The lower end of the leg is spaced above the top of the printing cabinet and has an open notch 60 therein in which there is pivotally mounted on a pin 62 passing through the walls of the notch a forwardly and rearwardly extending bar 64. In the forward end of the bar 64 and extending laterally therefrom at opposite sides there is journaled for rotation a short shaft 66. A marking wheel 68 having a hub 10 integral therewith is mounted on one end of the shaft 66 and fixed thereto for rotation with the shaft for example by a spline or set screw. The marking wheel 68 has marking surfaces 12 distributed around the periphery of the wheel and as shown herein there are eight of such surfaces. It is to be understood, however, that the number of marking surfaces is not of any special significance and may be varied both in number and size. A ratchet wheel I4 is fastened to the opposite end of the shaft 66 and has on it teeth corresponding in number to the number of the marking surfaces 12 on the marking wheel 68. The marking wheel E8 is held in a predetermined position of rotation with respect to the underlying top of the printing cabinet by a leaf spring 16, the upper end of which is fastened by screws 18 to the leg 58 and the lower end of which projects downwardly and forwardly into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet. As thus positioned, rotation of the ratchet in one direction is opposed by engagement of a tooth thereon with the lower end of spring 16. A coiled spring 80 fastened at one end to the forward end of the bar 64 and at the opposite end to the under side of the frame 52 normally holds the bar in a substantially horizontal position so that the marking wheel is held in an inoperative position above the underlying surface of the printing cabinet. The rear end of the bar 64 has pivotally attached thereto the lower end of a rod 82 the upper end of which is connected to the plunger of a solenoid 84 fastened by bolts 86 to the inside rear wall of the frame 52. By this means it is evident that energization of the solenoid 84 to retract its plunger will tilt the forward end of the bar 64 downwardly so as to bring the marking wheel into engagement with the rear side of the strip of paper resting on the top surface of the mask and that deenergization of the solenoid will permit the marking wheel to be returned to its inoperative position by the spring 8K2. Each time the bar 64 is tilted downwardly the ratchet wheel 14 is moved away from the end of the spring 16 so that it clears the tooth with which it was in contact and falls into the tooth behind. Upon restoration of the bar 64 to its horizontal position the ratchet will be rotated an angular dis tance corresponding to one tooth on its surface and hence will bring a corresponding marking surface into position for the next marking operation. The marking surfaces of the marking wheel are constantly supplied with a suitable ink for applying a mark to the paper by means of a piece of felt pressed against the upper surface of the wheel. To this end there is fastened to the web 58 a plate 88, Fig. 5, the forward portion of which is bent at right angles thereto so as to extend laterally from the web and then is bent upon itself to form a substantially rectangular hollow vertical sleeve 99 having open top and bottom ends so situated that the lower end of the sleeve is directly above the top of the marking wheel 88. A felt wick 9| or other suitable ink-retaining material is placed in the sleeve 99 with its lower end extending therefrom into contact with the upper surface of the marking wheel 68 and by keeping the wick moistened with ink at all times the marking surfaces 1'2 will be constantly furnished with a fresh supply of ink as they turn beneath it during operation of the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 7, there is illustrated a wiring diagram showing one convenient way of connecting the strip feed means with the lamps and with the marking means in such a manner that the strip is fed intermittently for printing and that during the pauses between feeding the lamps are energized to expose the sensitized film for printing and the marking means is brought into operation to make a mark on the back of the strip during the printing period. To this end the solenoid 34 and the lamp l2, as shown in Fig. 7, are connected across the lines a-c by way of a normall open switch S1 which is placed in series in the line a and which may be closed and opened as will now appear.

An adjustable clutch 92 is interposed between the gear reduction unit G and the drive cl to the take-up reel to effect rotation of the take-up reel a predetermined amount and then automatically to declutch so that the feed of the paper is discontinued when a predetermined length thereof has been advanced to the printer. The adjustable feature of the clutch permits varying the length of paper fed to the printer at any given time. The clutch carries a cam 98 or other suitable means which is arranged momentarily to close a normally open switch S2 connected by a line Ll to the line a and a line L2 through a relay Pu and line L3 to the line 0, Momentary closing of the switch S2 energizes the relay RI which in turn closes the switch S! which is connected thereto and a holding switch S3 so that the circuit through the lamp I2 and the solenoid 84 is completed. The switch SI will be held in a closed position until opened, independently of the clutch 92, and in order to open the switch SI at the end of a printing period a switch S4 is placed in the line L3 and is connected to a relay 13.2 which in turn is connected for actuation to a timer T. The timer may be set to afford a printing period which is suitable for the average density of the negatives being printed. The switch S4 is normally closed and when opened at the end of the period set by the timer will interrupt the current in the circuit of the relay RI long enough to release the holding switch S3 whereupon the switch SI will return to its normally open position. The clutch is constructed so that the period between clutching and declutching is ample for printing.

The foregoing marking device may be applied with small adaptations to a conventional continuous strip printer and will not interfere in any material way with normal printing. Accordingly as long as the felt wick is kept supplied with ink, which may be done with an eye dropper, the marks will be applied at the proper places automatically as the printing is done. The only additional operation necessary is to adjust the marking head longitudinally as the different marks are used to bring the nub 56 into the proper position with respect to the mask.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for printing a continuous light-sensitive strip at spaced intervals, including strip delivery and take-up reels, means for intermittently effecting rotation of the take-up reel, and a support having a printing opening therein over which the strip is intermittently advanced and arrested as it is led from said delivery reel to said take-up reel for printing; a marking head mounted on the support above the strip for applying marks to the back of the strip during successive periods of arrested movement, said marking head comprising a marking wheel, an arm pivotally supporting the wheel for movement to and from the strip, said marking wheel being mounted at one end of the arm for rotation about a horizontal axis, a spring normally holding the marking wheel away from the strip, a link connected to the arm for tilting it and the wheel into engagement with the strip in opposition to the spring, a ratchet on the wheel, a click on the support engaged with the ratchet in a position to effect a partial rotation of the wheel as it is moved from a position in contact with the strip to a position out of contact with the strip, and means engaged with the rim of the wheel for continuously supplying a fresh quantity of ink thereto.

2. In a machine for printing a continuous lightsensitive strip at spaced intervals, a support having a printing opening therein over which the strip is moved for successive exposures, a mask mounted on the support above the printing opening said mask having a picture opening of predetermined size and a positioning aperture in the margin thereof, strip-feeding means for successively advancing and arresting the strip across the mask to present successive portions in registry with the picture opening, a marking head mounted on the support above the mask for movement parallel to and along the direction of feed of the strip, a marking element carried by the head located above the strip laterally of the picture opening and movable into and out of contact with a supported area of the strip resting on the mask, and means projecting from the underside of the marking head downwardly laterally of the strip which may be engaged within the positioning aperture to locate the head at a fixed position with reference to said mask, said head being movable on the support to bring the last-named means into registry with the positioning aperture, frictionally to hold the head at said position of registry.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 490,939 Abbott Jan. 31, 1893 734,923 Ocumpaugh July 28, 1903 1,392,312 Eisenhand Oct. 4, 1921 1,421,413 Cossitt July 4, 1922 1,477,920 Stewart Dec. 18, 1923 1,595,288 Chamberlin Aug. 10, 1926 1,598,957 Chamberlin Sept. 7, 1926 1,817,880 De Silva et a1 Aug. 4, 1931 1,839,352 Smith Jan. 5, 1932 1,912,158 Pannier May 30, 1933 2,125,494 Freeman Aug. 2, 1938 2,153,211 Spray Apr. 4, 1939 2,335,189 Meyer Nov. 23, 1943 2,341,361 Burnham Feb. 8, 1944 2,380,962 Garraway Aug. 7, 1945 

